Coalition Calls For Action Against EHRs That Block Interoperability

The Health IT Now Coalition is calling on HHS to decertify electronic health record systems that require extra modules or additional costs to share data, Politico's "Morning eHealth" reports. The group also is calling on HHS and lawmakers to investigate firms that obstruct data sharing while participating in federal incentive programs (Gold, "Morning eHealth," Politico, 6/16).

The calls come after a recent RAND Corporation report found that a lack of interoperability hinders technologies that otherwise could lower costs and improve care quality (Health IT Now Coalition release, 6/13). Specifically, the report found that Epic, an EHR vendor, was operating a "closed platform" that limited interoperability.

In response, an Epic spokesperson noted that the report was authored by two Department of Veterans Affairs researchers who suggested the VA health system's platform as an alternative to Epic's system ("Morning eHealth," Politico, 6/16)....